Rainbow Sprinkle Sheet Cake

It’s time to talk about my birthday cake for this year! Even though this year was a big birthday number for me (that shall not be named, how dare you), I actually needed to keep my cake relatively quick and simple instead of going all out. For the first time that I can remember, Thanksgiving and my birthday fell in the same week (I swear this has never happened), so there was already a lot going on in my kitchen, plus I was leaving for Vegas the day after Thanksgiving.

And so, inspired by this sheet cake that I’m still obsessed with, I went with an easy Rainbow Sprinkle Sheet Cake that I topped with a Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze, plus these Birthday Cake Crumbs that I pulled out of the archives. I worked out perfectly, but as per tradition, I was so full from turkey and carbs that I could only have a small piece. My Mom froze the leftovers, so next time I have a treat emergency I’ll go pick it up!

Previous Birthday Cakes!

Birthday Cake Crumbs

Rainbow Sprinkle Sheet Cake with Birthday Cake Crumb Topping

Source: Cake from Yellow Bliss Road, Glaze from The Striped Spatula, Crumb from this post

Ingredients

Birthday Cake Crumb Topping

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cold and cut into cubes
  • 1 tsp vanilla (clear if you have it)
  • 2/3 cup rainbow sprinkles

Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup rainbow sprinkles tossed with 1 tbsp of flour

Glaze

  • 4 oz (1/2 pkg) cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2-4 tbsp milk or cream

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300° and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. For the birthday cake crumb topping, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Use a pastry cutter (or fork) to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, until you have a mix of big and small crumbs. Stir in the vanilla, then stir in the sprinkles. Stick in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
  3. Spread the crumbs onto the parchment paper into a single layer, then bake for 20 minutes. Stir VERY gently halfway through baking, and when done, let them cool completely.
  4. For the cake, increase the oven to 350° and butter a 9×13″ pan. You’ll be serving the cake out of this pan, so pick a nice one.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  6. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined, then the sour cream.
  7. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined, then the milk, then the remaining flour mixture.
  8. Add the sprinkles and gently stir with a spatula. Pour mixture into the pan and spread out evenly with an offset spatula.
  9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely.
  10. For the glaze, mix together all ingredients until smooth. Add more icing sugar to thicken, or more cream to thin out. Pour over the top of the cake, spreading evenly with an offset spatula.
  11. Sprinkle the birthday cake crumbs overtop. Done!